The Chicago area is expected to begin the week with bitterly cold temperatures and subzero wind chills.
Monday and Tuesday will be the coldest days with wind chills of minus 15 to 20 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Highs for both days will hover around 10 degrees.
Temperatures will begin to drop Sunday evening with O’Hare Airport expected to see a low of 1 degree, NWS meteorologist Mike Bardou said.
“We’re going to see low temperatures, they’re going to be quite a bit colder than we’ve had the last couple of days — single digits,” Bardou said.
Periods of light snow are expected today with accumulations possible mainly in northwest Indiana due to lake effect. While mostly dry conditions return for the upcoming work week, bitterly cold temperatures are expected with sub-zero wind chills through Thursday. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/74sihKguzF
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) February 16, 2025
Areas northwest of the city will be under a cold weather advisory beginning at midnight Monday, Bardou said.
While temperatures are expected to slowly increase, the area will not see highs over 20 degrees until Thursday or Friday, according to the weather service.
“It’s a slow upward trend through the rest of the week and should be in the low to mid-20s by Friday, and maybe a couple degrees warmer than that as you get into Saturday,” Bardou said.
The area could see on and off lake effect snow throughout the day Sunday, according to the weather service, but the rest of the week is expected to remain dry.
Warming Centers
The Salvation Army’s Freedom Center, 825 N. Christiana Ave., will serve as a warming center during the cold stretch. Chicago warming centers will also be open but hours might be affected Monday because of Presidents Day.
The Salvation Army also operates the city of Chicago’s 311 shelter transportation system and will give rides to those needing somewhere to stay when they call 311.